Sherdog’s Official Mixed Martial Arts Rankings

Heavyweight

Heavyweight

Velasquez removed any doubt as to who is the best heavyweight in
the world by administering a brutal beating to Junior dos Santos at
UFC 166. The final bout of the trilogy was never really in doubt,
as the American Kickboxing Academy representative dominated in the
clinch and rarely allowed his opponent any space to unleash his
formidable boxing. While Velasquez was expected to next defend his
title against Fabricio Werdum, that matchup will have to wait, as
shoulder surgery could keep the champion on the shelf until late
2014.

No one can question the heart of “Cigano,” but the former
heavyweight titleholder is likely to remain exactly that as long as
Cain Velasquez sits atop the division. The Brazilian was unable to
deal with the constant pressure of the American Kickboxing Academy
standout at UFC 166, eventually losing via technical knockout in
the fifth round. Despite back-to-back lopsided defeats to
Velasquez, dos Santos remains a clear No. 2 in the weight
class.

Since returning to the UFC in February 2012, Werdum has been
impressive in dispatching Roy Nelson, Mike Russow and Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira. That string of victories had “Vai Cavalo” in line
for a title shot, but with Cain Velasquez on the mend, the
grappling ace has chosen not to wait on the champion. Werdum will
face Travis Browne in the UFC on Fox 11 headliner on April 19.

In one of the UFC’s most memorable heavyweight slugfests, the
massive Brazilian traded blows with Mark Hunt for a full 25 minutes
at UFC Fight Night 33. What appeared to be one of the most
satisfying draws in history lost much of its luster when “Bigfoot”
was flagged for elevated testosterone after the bout, resulting in
a nine-month suspension for the former No. 1 contender.

Browne capped off a remarkable 2013 with a brutal stoppage of Josh
Barnett in the first round at UFC 168. As “The Warmaster” attempted
a double-leg takedown, he was met with a series of savage elbows by
the 6-foot-7 Hawaiian. With victories over Barnett, Gabriel Gonzaga
and Alistair Overeem in his rearview mirror, Browne’s next step
toward title contention will be a date with Fabricio Werdum at UFC
on Fox 11.

Barnett entered UFC 168 as the odds-on favorite in his showdown
against Travis Browne, and a win was expected to propel “The
Warmaster” into the title discussion. The former UFC heavyweight
champion’s significant edge in experience proved meaningless,
however, as a series of vicious Browne elbows ended Barnett’s night
just 60 seconds into their encounter.

With his back against the wall, “The Reem” put a beating of epic
proportions on former heavyweight titlist Frank Mir at UFC 169.
Displaying much-improved cardio, the hulking Dutchman battered Mir
for 15 minutes at the Prudential Center in New Jersey to halt a
two-fight skid in the Octagon.

Nogueira continued his recent trend of alternating wins and losses,
as he followed an October 2012 triumph over Dave Herman with a
submission defeat to Fabricio Werdum at UFC on Fuel TV 10. The
37-year-old “Minotauro” is not hanging up his four-ounce gloves
just yet, however, as a bout with cult hero Roy Nelson has been
targeted for the UFC’s return to the United Arab Emirates on April
11.

Miocic has rebounded nicely from a second-round knockout loss at
the hands of Stefan Struve in September 2012, posting back-to-back
unanimous verdicts over Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga in his last
two outings. The 31-year-old Ohioan probably needs at least one
more victory over a top-10 foe to merit serious title
consideration.

Hunt’s improbable drive toward title contention was cut short by
Junior dos Santos at UFC 160, but the “Super Samoan” rebounded to
give one of 2013’s most memorable performances in his next outing.
The 39-year-old Pride Fighting Championships veteran went
toe-to-toe with Antonio Silva for 25 enthralling minutes at UFC
Fight Night 33, with the end result being one of the most
satisfying draws in recent memory. The hard-hitting Kiwi has set
his sights on Alistair Overeem next, though nothing has been
officially scheduled.